POLISH-ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF TAX OFFICE CERTIFICATES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS CONFIRMING YOUR BUSINESS’S STATUS IN POLAND (CEIDG AND KRS) – REMOTE SERVICE

Polish-English translation of CEIDG, KRS and VAT certificates

This post is addressed to all those who need to confirm the status of their own, or their business partner’s, company, partnership or sole proprietorship, or their registration as an active VAT taxable person in Poland. In order to prove that they run a registered business or are a VAT taxable person in Poland, an entrepreneur must first obtain certain documents from the relevant commercial register. These will, however, be issued in the Polish language. To familiarise themselves with the content of such certificates or to present them to some foreign authorities, they may need to have these papers translated into English. The next step will therefore be commissioning a professional Polish-English translator to do the job. What kind of certificates are typically translated? Most frequently, Clients seek the translation of a certificate of entry in the CEIDG registry (Central Register and Information on Economic Activity), an excerpt (in everyday language, we can encounter different alternative names like a copy, extract, excerpt, etc.) from the register of entrepreneurs of KRS (the National Court Register), or a confirmation form (VAT-5 or VAT-5UE) or certificate from the tax office.

PRINTOUT (CERTIFICATE) FROM CEIDG / INFORMATION CORRESPONDING TO AN UPDATED EXTRACT FROM THE REGISTER OF ENTREPRENEURS OF KRS

When it comes to documents that confirm the registration or incorporation of a business in Poland, these can be easily obtained either on the website of the Central Register and Information on Economic Activity (CEIDG; alternatively translated on Polish government websites as ‘the Central Registration and Information on Business’) https://prod.ceidg.gov.pl/ceidg/ceidg.public.ui/Search.aspx or on the website of the National Court Register (KRS) https://ekrs.ms.gov.pl/web/wyszukikuje-krs/strona-glowna/index.html.Which search engine to use depends on the legal form of a given business. A CEIDG certificate in an electronic form, which can be printed out, is available for download by natural persons (individuals) running a business in Poland, namely sole traders (sole proprietors). It is also applicable in the case of business activities carried out in the form of a Civil-Code partnership, alternatively referred to as a civil-law partnership (spółka cywilna), as distinct from partnerships governed by the Polish Code of Commercial Companies and Partnerships. A Civil-Code partnership is a peculiar legal structure, which, in the light of civil law, is just a contract, whereas, in the light of tax law, it constitutes a taxpayer, a distinct entity that is assigned its own NIP (tax identification number) and REGON (statistical ID number). Importantly, the certificates (printouts) of entries in CEIDG do not require a signature or a seal to be valid. The provisions of the Polish Code of Administrative Procedure on certificates do not apply to them either. However, when necessary, an entrepreneur may request the minister responsible for the economy to certify their CEIDG printout with a view of applying for an Apostille.

The second of the aforementioned search engines allows the businessperson to download “information corresponding to an extract”, either an updated or a full extract, from the register of entrepreneurs of the National Court Register (KRS). “Individually retrieved computer printouts of updated and full information on entities made into the Register have the force equal to the force of documents issued by the Central Information, referred to in paragraph 3” (Art. 4(4aa) of the Act on the National Court Register). Extracts from the National Court Register (KRS) are available mainly for commercial-law entities: partnerships (registered partnerships (spółka jawna), limited partnerships (spółka komandytowa), professional partnerships (spółka partnerska), partnerships limited by shares (spółka komandytowo-akcyjna)) and companies (private limited liability companies (spółka z o.o.) and public limited companies (spółka akcyjna)) or branches of foreign entrepreneurs, although entrepreneurs, in the sense of any entities conducting business activities, include also those from another register of the National Court Register, that is the register of associations, other social and professional organisations, foundations and independent public healthcare facilities. The most frequently chosen version of the extract from the National Court Register is the so-called updated extract. This version is slightly more concise than a full extract, with the latter containing information on historical entries since the original registration. Copies, excerpts and certificates from the National Court Register issued by the Central Information Office of the National Court Register can also be obtained for a fee in paper form at the Central Information Office branches (the need for a hard copy version might arise if an Apostille is to be obtained). The list of branches can be found here: https://www.gov.pl/web/sprawiedliwosc/kontakt-krs/

TAX OFFICE CERTIFICATES CONFIRMING THE VAT STATUS

When your business partner expects confirmation of your enterprise’s status as an active VAT taxable person (or if you wish to make sure your partner is one), it is possible to obtain a relevant certificate from the tax office (stamp duty payable in the amount of PLN 21). An active taxable person is an entrepreneur registered for VAT purposes and carrying out taxable activities. An alternative to the above certificate is just checking the taxable person’s status on the following website: https://www.podatki.gov.pl/wykaz-podatnikow-vat-wyszukiwarka This is the so-called White List of VAT taxable persons. The validity of the VAT number of an entrepreneur registered for EU VAT purposes (intra-Community transactions) can be verified on the website of the European Commission (https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/?locale=pl). The EU VIES system does not show, however, whether a taxable person is exempt from VAT (but registered, for instance, for intra-Community purchases of services). If a distinct certificate is required anyway, the relevant application shall be filed with the tax office (application template: https://zaplecze.biznes.gov.pl/files/document_attachments/3477/wniosek_o_zaswiadczenie_potwierdzajace_status_podatnika_VAT_1.pdf). The VAT-5 or VAT-5UE forms, which can be obtained upon registration, are also documents that confirm registration for VAT purposes. They are issued by the head of the tax office pursuant to, respectively, Art. 96(4) of the Act of 11 March 2004 on Tax on Goods and Services (upon application; stamp duty is PLN 170) and Art. 97(9) of the same Act (in the case of EU VAT, the Act provides for ex-officio confirmation; yet, in the registration application, you still have to check the relevant box; no stamp duty is charged in this case).

POLISH-ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF YOUR DOCUMENTS FROM KRS, CEIDG AND THE TAX OFFICE

After obtaining the relevant documents, required for your own purposes or by your business partner, from the Polish business register (CEIDG or KRS) or the tax office, you will need to have them translated into English. The typical form of such translation is certified translation, also known as sworn translation. Certified (sworn) Polish-English translation of a certificate of entry in the Central Register and Information on Business (CEIDG), information (excerpt) from the National Court Register (KRS) and a certificate or confirmation of the VAT status from the tax office gives you or your business partner the confidence that the service has been performed reliably and the content of the English translation is consistent with the original Polish document. A Polish-English and English-Polish sworn translator is legally required to remain fully objective and independent, even when commissioned by a specific client. He or she certifies the translation using a special certifying formula, affixing a round seal below and signing the translation. In doing so, he or she exercises the powers conferred on him or her by the Polish Act on the Profession of Sworn Translator. Those aspiring to become sworn translators are required to pass a demanding state examination and then be officially appointed and entered into the sworn translators’ register by the Minister of Justice.

Clients are usually satisfied with a scanned copy of such a certified or sworn translation (e.g. in PDF format), thanks to which the entire translation process can be carried out online – fully remotely and very efficiently. When a paper version is required, it can be sent by post. Sworn translators are also entitled to prepare sworn translations with an electronic signature, and in that case, the translation exists only in digital form and does not bear any stamps.

CERTIFIED (SWORN) TRANSLATION OF CERTIFICATES AND OTHER DOCUMENTS AT ENGLAW

At EngLaw, we offer professional and quick Polish-English translation of certificates from CEIDG, excerpts (information) from KRS as well as certificates of VAT status from the tax office. The translations are performed by a sworn translator with a legal background, experienced in the translation of legal, administrative, business and other official documents. It is possible to collect the translated document in person, as well as to receive a completely remote service (depending on your needs, you may get the translation in electronic form, as a scanned copy of a traditional translation in a pdf file or as a digital translation with an electronic signature, or in paper form by post or via the InPost parcel locker service). In the case of CEIDG certificates and KRS extracts, you don’t even have to download the document yourself. At EngLaw, we can download the most recent documents from the relevant commercial register’s system just before starting the translation (the same applies to preparing a quotation – you just need to provide your NIP or KRS number). As regards other documents like tax office certificates, you can send their scans or good-quality photos (or electronic certificates, if you got them in digital format). Our translation services cover also numerous other documents and are offered remotely for customers based in Poland and around the world. For those interested in visiting our site, it is easy to get here from Ruda Śląska, Mikołów, Zabrze, Gliwice, Katowice and generally the Silesian urban area.

Feel free to take advantage of professional certified and ordinary translation services.

Sworn translator of the English language: Ruda Śląska Halemba

Polish-English and English-Polish sworn translator: Gliwice, Katowice, Mikołów, Zabrze and the surrounding area

Remote and online services

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